Submitted by pjmora on October 11, 2011 - 10:23.
Why does perpetual direct democracy, PDD, matter at this time?
1.1 - The sooner a significant majority of us, the citizens, realize our right to legislate our own laws, and to establish them into a “Citizens’ Constitution”, the sooner a more egalitarian distribution of goods and services we will have, a more sustainable harvesting of resources we will manage, and a more peaceful world we will live in.
1.2 - The most used tool of democracy up to now has been the right to protest the disconnect between governments and its citizens. Citizens, all over the world, have been protesting for a long time. Although seldom fully successful, protests at least generate some degree of publicity, solidarity, and personal satisfaction. Unfortunately, public protests are often ignored, politely heard, or violently squashed by fascist governments. Michael Nagler in his book, “In Search for a Nonviolent Future” says: “The tail of protesting wrongs would never wag the dog of building a society.”
1.3 - The essence of what we are suggesting here is that: the time has come when we are technologically and intellectually ready to go beyond protesting. We are ready to take the next step towards developing an ongoing, participatory governance, or Perpetual direct democracy, “PDD.”
1.4 - Now is the time, because unprecedented internet technology enables us to be abundantly informed about relevant social issues. Now polling with the latest computer technology, as never before in history, has made it easy for us to participate in instant plebiscites, tabulate public opinion, and potentially legislate the people’s agenda with a Citizens’ Constitution.
1.5 - Additionally to technological advances, we have learned from history, and experienced in our life time, how legislative power concentrated in the hands of monarchs, dictators, or a few politicians has inherently corrupted in the past, and potentially will continue to corrupt in the future. As expressed by Baron Acton (1834 - 1902) “ Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely”.
1.6 - The current stage of democracy,“Representative Democracy”, was inherited from the hierarchical tradition of parliamentary-monarchies. It has served its time, but it is now outdated, and no longer practical. Democracy should be expanded to include all citizens sharing equal political power, otherwise only a few empowered representatives, become increasingly vulnerable to being co-opted, or coerced by economic interests.
1.7 - The present electoral system is obsolete. It is too easy for some of us to be fooled by propaganda, during the relatively short period of elections, but under PDD it would be more difficult for all of us to be mislead perpetually, by a few for-profit lobbyists. As Abraham Lincoln said: “You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time.“
1.8 - In summary, If we are ready to take full responsibility of our political choices, now is the time. We are living in an age when the best communications technology can enable us to adopt PDD. We can finally legislate our own rules for the best distribution of our commonwealth; we can legislate the most environmentally sustainable laws; and we can transform our War Economy into Peace Economy. This would optimize the best possible standard of living for all humanity.
Chapter 6.-
Citizen’s Draft Constitution.
With the intention of advancing a peaceful evolution of democracy, we, the concerned citizens, commit ourselves to participate in the development of an evolving constitution.
To begin the perpetual process of direct democracy, we present the following iniciatives, a set of priciples, as a political framework for your consideration, and we invite all interested citizens to participate on the development of a “Citizens’ Constitution”.
You can participate with your own initiatives, support, amendments, or rejection of any of the following propositions on www.nowpolling.ca
An initiative proposition, after allowing a predetermined and sufficient time for full information and public discussion, may be qualified as a binding referendum, and when approved by a predetermined threshold of majority, it shall be amended into law. All statutes in this constitution are mutable. All laws and policies may be amended anytime.
Motion #1 Empathy
Because social consciousness evolves from cooperation and fairness
Because happiness is the ability to share the feelings of others
Because the security of one is the security of all.
Therefore, all of our Laws must submit to the Spirit of Empathy.
The Universal Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and any other document made with the intention to protect collective or individual human rights, shall be an overriding legislation in this constitution.
Motion #2. Equality
Because equality and freedom are fundamental human values;
Because hierarchy and competition create social, economic, and political inequality;
Therefore, we declare to be sovereign from any hierarchical authority and commit ourselves to cooperate within the principle of equality, among ourselves and with other societies. All of our governing principles and rules shall be initiated by us the citizens, and amended into our constitution.
Motion #3. Peace
Because war and aggression has never brought a Just peace,
- Because the security of one is the security of all,
Therefore, we the citizens commit to research, develop, and practice the theories of nonviolent conflict resolution, among ourselves and with other nations.
Motion #4 - Conservation
- Because we live in a world of limited resources,
- Because all life is imperiled by the extraction of toxic elements,
-Therefore, we must consciously regulate the rate of consumption of scarce resources, and we must ethically control the mining of toxic element and the creation of life threatening products.
Motion #5. - Political and Territorial Coexistence
When we, the PDD citizens, are a minority in this territory, now known as (name of province, state, or geographical boundaries), PDD citizens shall negotiate with all levels of government for our legislative participation as identified by our initiatives and tabulated on our plebiscites.
When we, the PDD citizens of this territory, are a majority, PDD government shall recognize and negotiate with minority forms of governance, in a fair manner for a peaceful political and territorial coexistence.
Motion #6. - Community Associations
Adopt, by referendum, the constitution and status of sovereign Community Assemblies affiliated with Municipal Councils, Provincial Governments and the Federation of Canada.
Motion #7. - City Executive Officers. ( Municipal )
7.1 .- City executives shall be elected by a perpetual electoral system operated by the Legislative Operations Department.
7.2 - The duty of each City Executive Officer shall be to manage a specific department of the municipality.
7.3 - The number of departments and the number of executive officers elected for each department, shall be decided by its citizens, according to the size and need of each city.
7.4 - City Executive Officers shall present a yearly financial budget for their department. Budgets need to be approved by referendum by the majority of electorates.
7.5 - Suggested List of municipal departments, (subject to changes and amendments )
a ) - Legislative operations, Elections, Initiative and Referendum.
b ) - Public Information and Communications Systems.
c ) - Public Works: Water, sewer, garbage, recycling.
d ) - City Planning, street works, and Building permits
e ) - Social services, Parks and recreation.
f ) - Social Housing and Public Transit.
g ) - Credit Management Agency: Tax collection/funding distribution.
h ) - Police; Law enforcement, public security.
i ) - Inter governmental coordination.
7.7 - Each department shall operate according to a mandate described under the Municipal Act.
Motion #8. - Executive State Ministers ( Provincial )
8.1. - Executive ministers shall be elected by an “at large” perpetual electoral system, across the state. The electoral system shall be operated by the Ministry of Citizens’ Legislation.
8.2 - Citizens may decide to have more than one executive minister for any ministry, in that case, the top two, or more elected candidates would become a committee of ministers, for a particular ministry.
8.4. - The Ministers’ duty shall be to introduce and implement legislation as decided by citizens, and to administer government’s operations, in accordance with the laws and statutes mandated by the citizens.
8.5. - Ministers shall present, to the electorate, a yearly financial budget for their assigned ministry. This shall be approved by the citizens by referendum.
8.6 - Suggested List of Ministries, (subject to change, and amendments)
a ) - Ministry of the Premier
The Premier’s duty is: to coordinate and chair any assembly of all ministries’ meetings, to facilitate other ministers with the Legislation of citizens’ initiatives decided by referendum, to symbolically represent the State, nationally and internationally. the Premier shall comply with all the statutes in accordance with the State’s Governance Act.
b ) - Ministry of Citizens’ Legislation
The Ministry of Citizens’ Legislation shall develop and operate a computerized, perpetual polling system to facilitate citizens’ initiative, referendum, and the elections of ministers. This Ministry must ensure that the polling system is secure, transparent, verifiable, and accessible to all citizens, every business day. The Minister shall comply with all the statues within the Citizens’ Legislation Act.
c ) - Ministry of Attorney General/Justice.
The Ministry of the Attorney General shall mange the legal procedures of creating new bills for the implementation of peoples’ legislation into law; the Minister shall safe-keep the laws and constitution; the Attorney General is the Chief Executive Officer of the Justice and Courts System; and the Minister shall comply with all the statutes of the Justice Act.
d ) - Ministry of Finance
The Ministry of Finance shall administer the collection of taxes and other revenues from citizens, and businesses; the ministry of Finance shall administer the distribution of financial resources to all ministries according to their budgets, and according to the statutes in the Finance Act. the Ministry of finance shall manage a credit agency to create the capital needed for building infrastructure projects.
e ) Ministry of Health Care,
The Ministry of Health Care shall operate a non-profit, efficient, comprehensive, universal, and sufficiently available to all.
f ) Ministry of Education
The Ministry of Education shall operate an efficient, non-profit, skill trades, academic, kindergarden to university educational services, sufficiently available to all, and fully financed by taxes.
g ) Ministry of Housing.
The Ministry of Housing shall, in coordination with regional, federal, and non-profit social housing agencies, develop and maintain sufficient housing for all citizens who need it.
h ) Ministry of Transportation.
The Ministry of Transportation, in coordination with municipal transit authorities and federal funding programs, shall develop and operate as many public transit systems as needed.
i ) Ministry of Communications & Information.
The Ministry of Communications and Information shall regulate the communications systems; gather and publish, relevant information from all ministries, and keep archival records and vital statistics.
j ) Ministry of Social Services/Welfare
The Ministry of Social Services and Welfare in conjunction with municipal social services and federal fundings shall develop and operate public services to aid the poor, infirm, drug addicted, and mentally challenged citizens.
k ) Ministry of the Solicitor General/Security and Order.
The Ministry of the Solicitor General, in coordination with the municipal police units, shall provide public security and order; it shall administer detention centers. Detention centers shall develop and provide restorative justice training, and non-violence conflict resolution training, in coordination with the education ministry.
l ) Ministry of Forest-Lands-Minerals.
This Ministry shall regulate and manage all public lands prioritizing the optimum sustainability and public benefit possible.
m ) Ministry of Food Security & Agriculture.
This Ministry shall regulate food production, distribution, and safety.
n ) Ministry of Energy
This Ministry shall regulate the production and distribution of energy from all sources: gas, oil, hydro, wind, tidal, solar, etc.
o ) Ministry of Business & Labour.
This Ministry shall regulate all business procedures and obligations, labour rights and safety conditions.
p ) Ministry of Intergovernmental Affairs
The purpose of this ministry is to constantly negotiate obligations and responsibilities with municipalities and regional governments. Also, this ministry shall constantly negotiate our social commitments, economic responsibilities, and political positions which this sovereign state shares in common with the Federation of Canada.
Motion #9
Federal Co-Ministers Delegated to Participate in the Governance of Canada
9.1. - From an “at large”, across the State, list of candidates for each federal ministry, initiated by citizens, the candidates for each ministry with the most votes, shall be delegated as Federal Co-Ministers.
9.2 - Citizens may decide to have more than one federal Co Minister for any Ministry, in that case, the top two, or more elected candidates would become a committee of ministers, for a particular ministry.
9.3 - The Co-Ministers’ mandate shall last as long as the majority of citizens across the province maintain the public support for them, on the official - computerized - perpetual electoral system.
9.4 - The federal Co-Ministers’ duty shall be first to introduce, in the Canadian Parliament, bills for legislation as decided by their electorates, and second, to ensure that their specific ministries execute operations as legislated.
9.4 - Each Federal Co-Minister from each State or province, shall present a yearly financial budget for their ministry. All federal budgets need to be decided by referendum by the taxpayers of each State or province.
9.5 - If a super majority of at least 67% of citizens of any State or province object to a federal decision, that State or Province, shall not be obliged to contribute financially nor participate on that federal decision.
9.6 - A tentative List of Federal Ministries, which citizens of of this Sovereign State, (province) may want to participate in, and delegate a Co-Minister for each ministry.
a).-Ministry of Democratic Reform: Information, Initiative, and Plebiscite.
b).- Ministry of the Prime Minister.
c).- Ministry of Justice, Attorney General
d).- Ministry of Health Care Services
e).- Ministry of Intergovernmental Internal Affairs
f).- Ministry of Foreign Affairs
g).- Ministry of Defense and training for Natural disasters aid and rescue.
h).- Ministry for the Environmental protection.
i).- Ministry for Non-violent conflict resolution training.
j).- Ministry of Finance
k).- Ministry of Food Security and Agriculture.
l).- Ministry of Social Services
m).- Ministry of Communications and Transportation Infrastructure.
n).- Ministry of International Trade.
o).- Ministry of Labour and business regulations
p).- Ministry of Immigration
q).- Ministry of Natural Resources and Energy.
Chapter 9 - What can we collectively do?
9.1 - Cultural change will take its time. We might develop PDD by osmosis and gradally become a movement with a phantom local government until it gains a significant constituents’ support in a city or a riding to challenge the official political establishment.
The Albert Einstein Institution promotes Dr. Gene Sharp’s Methods of Nonviolent Political Action one of which is: “ Dual soverignity and parallel government. (Boston: Porter Sargent Publishers, 1973)
9.2 - Under the PDD system, we the citizens would become the legislators, therefore, we no longer would require City Councellors, MLAs or MPs. The source of our perennial discontent with governments that engage in war, mismanage social resources, etc, has been our own misunderstanding. This deficiency will be fixed as soon as we the people collectively start legislating our own afairs.
9.3 - Executive Administrators, for each city department, would be elected to replace the current City Councilors. State Ministers would replace current Members of the Legislative Assembly, MLAs. Federal Co-ministers, for each ministry, would be elected to replace the current Members of Parliament, MPs. These executive administrators, Ministers, and Co-Ministers would be prepetually accountable and subordinate to the Legislating citizens.
9.4 - Democracy and violence are interrelated. Michel Nagler says: “Those tow forces determine the outcome of all human interactions.” Let’s remember the popular misnomer that WW1 was fought to end all wars, has been proven wrong many times. Wars violently impose temporary social order, but not social justice and peace. Mahatma Gandhi said: “ I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary, the evil it does is permanent.”
A few countries, less economically and technologically developed than Canada, have established a Ministry of Peace, with the purpose of developing methods and training student-brigades for nonviolent solutions for conflicts. This is a method which would save thousands of innocent lives who are presently being unnecessarily killed in our name. We need to replace the mission of our current Ministry of Defense and establish a Ministry of Peace.
9.5 - Even if it takes time away from party-oriented campaigns, let’s organize with the intention of building not political parties, but peoples’ consensus on solutions for universal values of fairness, equality, responsibility, freedom and security.
As we work on specific policy issues, let’s rise above partisanship, inequality, and competition, and look beyond toward community, equality, and cooperation. We need to begin a new way of life.
9.6 - Finally, now is the time because we still have the ability to find a relatively painless change to avoid the predicted economic and ecological catastrophe, and because that is where our current political system is headed.
